Textile fabric



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Oct. 14, 1947. l J. A. KRAsNov ErAL 2,429,187 D TEXTILE FABRIC Filed Nov. 18, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 t l I l l l l i \\Y l N Jy A f i; QQOQLJ `m l l Patented Oct. 14, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT ,nait OFFICE TEXTILE FABRIC Joseph A. Krasnov, Melrose Park, and Max M. Kuller, Allentown, Pa., assignors to Sure-Fit Products Company, Darby,k Pa., a co-partnership consisting of Joseph A. Krasnov and Samuel Krasnov Application November 18, 1941, Serial No. 419,622

part, of our application Serial Number 400,998,

filed July 3, 1941; upon which United States Patent No. 2,266,678 was issued on December 16, 1941.

'Ihe present invention relates to certain new and useful textile fabrics possessing certain desirable characteristics and qualities of stretchability and surface adherence which may be useful wherever such combination of stretchability and surface adherence is desirable or where it is desirable to cause the fabric to resist slipping over a surface covered thereby, as for instance, but not limited to, slip covers for overstuffed upholstered furniture and the like.

With the above and other objects in View, which will appear more fully from the following de scription and accompanying drawings, the present invention consists of knitted fabrics formed of a relatively soft knitted cotton base which is more or less stretchable, and covered-rubberv threads inter-knitted with the cotton threads and extending through the fabric in such a way as to pull and contract the fabric in two directions generally transversely of each other, thereby drawing the fabric together into a series of pocket-like formations which, when partly stretched over another fabric surface or other surface (as for instance, the surface of overstuifed upholstered furniture) will cause the fabric to get a rmer grip upon, or better to hugthe underlying surface covered by the fabric; thus tending to prevent or resist slipping or sliding of the fabric over the surface covered thereby.

The fabric of the present invention further consists of a novel combination of knitted cotton or similar yarn loops and rubber loops inter-knitted therewith, so arranged, that the rubber loops contract the fabric and thereby cause some of the cotton loops to repose loosely or limply and thus present a peculiar surface formation having certain desirable qualities.

The present invention further consists of a novel combination of the aforesaid elements together with certain snubber threads of relatively inelastic and smooth character disposed along the rubber threads, thereby to provide a certain snubber effect upon the rubber and also to act as a safety means to hold the fabric together in the event the rubber breaks at some points.

The present invention further consists of knitted fabrics formed of a knitted cotton base which is stretchable and rubber or other elastic threads extending through the fabric in such a way as to pull and contract the fabric in twodirections generally transversely of each other to form pocketlike formations, in which an additional textile thread, preferably a thin smooth thread, parallels the rubber or elastic thread, with the paralleling textile thread in a generally loose or limp condition, so as to act as a brake or snubber or as a limiting means upon the stretch 0f the rubber or elastic thread, so as to prevent the elastic thread from being stretched beyond its elastic limit and also to act as a safety means tokeep the fabric together and to keep the fabric from running or unravelling should a rubber or elastic thread break at any time for any reason whatsoever.

The present invention further consists of other novel fabric features and constructions, all of which will appear more fully from the following description and accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the accompanying drawings some of the forms thereof, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can` be variously arranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts,

Figure 1 represents a plan View of the fabric structure viewed from one of its surfaces, but shown on a` much enlarged scale, namely, a scale of approximately ten or fourteen times actualr size, and shown more or less schematically, insofar as the thread formations are shown as they would appear if the fabric were stretched out completely, in both directions, so as to better show the inter-lacings of the cotton and covered-rubber threads; the courses extending parallel to the greater dimension of this figure, and the wales extending parallel to the smaller dimension of this ligure.

Figure 2 represents a plan view ofthe other side of the fabric structure shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 represents a plan view, similar to that shown in Figure 1, but on a still further enlarged scale, showing a modied form of construction exemplifying another phase of the present invention, wherein a relatively thin and smooth-surfaced textile thread or yarn, as for instance rayon or celanese or nylon is extended through the fabric alongside the rubber yarn or elastic thread.

Figure 4 represents a plan View of the other side of the fabric shown in Figure 3.

We have found that by forming the surface of a knitted fabric of relatively loose and relatively soft cotton thread loops, inter-knitted with rubber or similar elastic threads, preferably coveredrubber threads,fin famanner tending to contract the fabric Vin twodir'ections, the fabric is given a surface formation or surface characteristic which will tend to grip or hug any underlying surface`v to which it is applied (as for instance in the case T of a slip-cover applied over the surface of upholstered furniture) which surface characteristic is due in part to the reduced contact area or thev 4 the fabric whereby the fabric tends to remain f put when resting against or held taut upon some other stationary surface and tends to resist shifting or slipping or dislodging.

We have found that by a combination of a relatively soft knitted cotton base, and covered-rubber threads interknitted therewith at suitable intervals and so interknitted with the soft knitted cotton threads as to contract the fabric in two'` directions, a surface-gripping effect is attained which is highly effective to keep the fabric inV place.

In carrying out the present invention we may form the fabric shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 either on a flat knitting machine or a circular knitting machine-preferably the latter. Thus, for instance, we may form the fabric on a multifeed circular latch-needle type knitting machine, of suitably large diameter, as, for instance, a circular knitting machine containing 1080 needles in the cylinder thereof and havingv a multiplicity of feeds, as, for instance, 28 or 32 feeds for sirnul-v taneously feeding yarn to the needles at a corresponding number of circumferentlally distributed points. A machine suitable for this purpose is the Supreme circular knitting machine made by the Supreme Knitting Machine Company of Brooklyn, New York-although any other equivalent or suitable knitting machine may bev used.

Every sixth or seventh yarn feed is fed or supplied with a covered-rubber thread, while the rest of the yarn-feeds are fed or supplied with softtwisted cotton or mercerized cotton threads. In

this manner every sixth or seventh or so course is knitted of the covered-rubber yarn. Thus, for instance, on a 32-feed circular knitting machine, 28 of the feeds may be used, with every seventh feed supplied with a covered-rubber yarn or strand and the intervening six feeds (that is, those between two successive rubber feeds) supplied with a soft low-twist cotton yarn or mercerized cotton yarn. Similarly, if every sixth feed is to be rubber, of the feeds may be used-ve feeds rubber and twenty-live feeds cotton-with ve cotton feeds intervening successive rubber feeds.

In the schematic views of Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, we have illustrated a seven-to-one cotton and rubber course arrangement, in which every seventh course is knitted of covered-rubber yarn l l, while the intervening courses are knitted of cotton yarns l2.

As will be seen from Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 that every sixth needle is caused to remain in an inoperative position at the cotton feeds, but to remain operative at the rubber feeds. In this manner, the siX cotton threads I2 forming the six successive adjacent cotton courses intervening the successive rubber courses, are caused to noat across and within the rubber loops I3, as for instance at i4. .After each rubber course, the needles rendered inactive or inoperative at the cotton feeding points, are staggered in relation to each other as shown clearly in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4. This causes certain areas to be bounded on all sides by rubber,

4 as shown in Figures 12,-j3and-4; so as to cause the rubber in the fabric to contract the fabric in two directions, that is, in a direction parallel to -the.courses and in a direction at right angle to the courses.

This 2-way contraction of the fabric causes pocket-like formations to be formed on one side of the fabric, each pocket being bounded by rubber, as indicated in the drawings-with the ridges separating the pockets serving as reduced contact areas between the fabric and any underlying surface covered thereby. The other surface of the fabric also presents reduced contact areasthese reduced contact areas here being however convex protuberances. The rubber threads also so contract the fabricas to cause some of the knitted loops of the softcotton or other basethread to be disposed loosely or limply in the fab-` ric when the fabric is contracted or partly contracted; said limp base thread loops contributing to the surface-adherence capacity of the fabric.

In many of the uses to which the fabric of the present invention is put, it is subjected to many destructive forces and influences, including the increased physical strain placed upon the fabric, from time to time, in localized areas when the fabric is in use, and including also the deteriorating effects of Washing, laundering, and the aging of the rubber content thereof.

Under these and other influences, there is a tendency for the rubber yarn to be stretched beyond its elastic limit and thus to be broken at some points, and there is also a tendency for the rubber to lose some of its strength in spots, after a long period of time, due to the influence of laundering and also duetoaging, To safeguard against the rst of the above-named influences, we have invented a snubbing means for limiting the stretch of the rubber, which snubbing means will be relatively inert. or ineffective while the fabric is subjected to more or less normal strains and stresses, and which will come into play only when the fabric is stretched beyond a certain point, and which will also come into play should the rubber thread be broken, at any time, when these snubber threads or strands prevent an ac-l tual rupture in the fabric, even though the rubber threads may be brokenthus acting also as safety threads.

One form of this phase of our fabric invention is shown particularly in Figures 3 and 4, wherein snubber threads Il--s are provided alongside the rubber threads lI-being fed from separate spools or sources to the threadguides or to the feeding stations or points of the knitting machine where the rubber threads are fed to the needles, so that these snubber threads ll-s will go through the fabric just as the rubber threads go through the fabric and will thus form the same loops along with the rubber threads.

These snubber threads ll-s, which are fed to the knitting machine along with the rubber threads H, are preferably smooth-surfaced threads, as for instance, rayon yarn, nylon yarn, celanese yarn, and other similar regenerated cellulose of cellulose ester yarns, Aor possiblyy even silk yarn, and are preferably Vthinner or less bulky than the base yarns l2 ofy which the main fabric body is composed, so that the snubber yarns will slide freely through the connecting loops of cotton yarn l2 and will slide smoothly alongside the rubber threads which they parallel with a minimum of restraining influence upon the free stretch and free contraction of the rubber threads so long as these rubber threads are stretched and contracted within the limits set by the snubbing threads Iles.

The snubbing threads Al I-.s are preferably fed to the 'knitting machine comparatively loosely or suiciently 'loosely to have the requisite looseness in the ultimate fabric when the fabric is contracted. Thus, in the ultimate fabric, when the fabric is'not stretched at all, the rubber threads H will be .contracted lwhile :the snubber threads |I-s will 'be lying loosely or limply alongside the rubber threads ll with enough excess so that the rubber may be stretched or extended a substans tial amount before the .paralleling snubber threads l --s become taut in the fabric.

fn Figures 3 and 4, the snubber threads Ii-.s are .indicated lin their taut condition, namely, when lthe fabric 4is stretched.

While in the-accompanying drawings two forms of our'present invention are shown, it is to be understood that these may be varied both dimensionally and otherwise. Thus, for instance, instead of rendering inactive every sixth needle at the cotton-feed positions (or when the cotton feed vreaches it), eve-ry fifth or seventh (or so) needle 'may be rendered inactive at this cycle of operation. The elastic course, interspersed at suitable intervals, is caused to stretch across the severalintervening courses of non-elastic yarn, to contract the fabric also transversely of the courses, or wale-wise-with the Wale-wise contracting rubber loops (extending between successive rubber courses) :being staggered.

By the present invention, the resultant fabric is not only conformable more readily and with greater fidelity to the varying contours of underlying surfaces to be covered thereby, but the fabric tends better to grip or hug such surfaces, and to resist dislodgement 'or shifting upon such surfaces, 'while in actualuse.

In Figure 1, we have also schematically illustrated a fragmentary portion of the covered-rubber yarn H, `on a still further enlarged scale, showing the central rubber core portion thereof, and the two oppositely wound outer cotton, mercerized or rayon wrapping' threads H and l2, which encase and cover the inner rubber core l0,

The covered elastic strands or yarns may be formed with a core of other elastic materials, that is other than natural rubber, as, for instance, synthetic rubber-like or elastic organic compositions used as substitutes for rubber or the .equivalents of rubber. Therefore, in using the term rubben in .the Claims, itis to be understood that this term is intended to comprehend equivalent materials such as synthetic rubber-like elastic compounds and compositions used as substitutes for or as an an equivalent of rubber.

Likewise, in place of the rayon or nylon snubber threads I l-s, a highly mercerized cotton yarn may beused, also serving to snub or limit the elastic stretch and to act as a safety thread in relation to the rubber thread Il throughout the fabric.

Having thus described our invention, we hereby elairn and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

1. A contour-conforming knitted fabric comprising a preponderance of courses of knitted loops of a relatively inelastic textile thread and a series of separate courses of knitted loops of relatively elastic thread, there being a plurality of inelastic thread courses intermediate each adjoining pair of elastic thread courses, each of said courses of relatively elastic thread being looped to its adjoining courses of relatively elastuberances on the other side thereof and therebyL to resist shifting .of the `fabric upon an under,- lying surface covered thereby.

2. A contour-conforming knitted fabric comprising a preponderance of courses of knitted loops of a relatively inelastic textile thread and` a series of separate courses of knitted loops of relatively elastic thread, there being a plurality of inelastic thread courses intermediate each adjoining pair of elastic thread courses, each of the elastic courses being looped to its adjoining elastic courses at spaced intervals, with the loops of the inelastic courses being dropped at said spaced intervals and with the thread of the inelastic courses floated in unknitted condition at said spaced intervals through said Wale-wise inter connecting elastic loops.

3. A contour-conforming knitted fabric com,- prising a preponderance .of Acourses of knitted loops of a relatively inelastic textile thread and a series of separate courses of knitted loops vof relatively elastic thread, there beinga plurality of inelastic thread coursesintermediate each adjoining pair of elastic thread courses, .each of the elastic courses being looped to its adjoining elastic courses at spaced intervals, with the loops of the inelastic courses being dropped at said spaced intervals and with the thread of the inelastic courses floated in unknitted' vcondition at said spaced intervals through said Wale-wise interconnecting elastic loops, the interconnecting loops` of successive elastic courses being staggered course-wise.

4. A knitted fabric comprising a preponderance of relatively inelastic textile yarn loops having interspersed therethrough elastic threads, said elastic threads being substantially spaced apart course-wise of the fabric, each elastic thread being looped to both its adjoining elastic threads at spaced intervals thereby tending to contract the fabric both wale-wise and course-wise so as to form a series of concavities on one side and corresponding protuberances on the other side thereof, said yarn loops and said elastic threads making up a complete knitted fabric, and relatively inelastic snubber strands extending through the complete fabric generally parallel to the elastic threads, said inelastic strands being shorter in length than the extended length of the elastic threads and limiting the extent to which said elastic threads may be stretched in the fabric when the latter is in use.

5. A knitted fabric comprising a, preponderance of relatively inelastic textile yarn loops having interspersed therethrough elastic threads, said elastic threads being substantially spaced apart course-wise of the fabric, each elastic thread being looped to both its adjoining elastic threads at spaced intervals thereby tending to contract the fabric both Wale-Wise and course-wise so as to form a series of concavities on one side and corresponding protuberances on the other side thereof, said yarn loops and said elastic threads making up a complete knitted fabric, and relatively inelastic snubber strands extending through the complete fabric generally parallel to the elastic threads and limiting the extent to which said elastic threads may be stretched in thefabric when the fabric is in use, said inelastic strands having a length greater than the contracted length of the elastic threads but less than the fully extended length of said elastic threads, said snubber strands lying in the complete fabric in a relatively Vslack condition alongside the elastic threads when the elastic threads are more or less contracted in the unstretched condition of the fabric, the slack of thesnubber strands being taken up when the. elastic threads are caused to yield as 'the fabric is stretched.` Y v 6. A Aknitted fabric comprising a preponderance of relatively inelastic textile yarn loops having interspersed therethrough elastic loops each of said elastic loops extending across a plurality of intervening courses 'of inelastic loops and tending to contract the fabric both Wale-Wise and course-Wise thereby to form a series of generally diamond-shaped concavities on one side and corresponding protuberances on the other side thereof,'said yarn loops and said elastic loops making up a complete knitted fabric, and snubberstrands extending through the complete fabric generally parallel to the elastic loops, said snubber strands being longer in length than the elastic loops when said elastic loops are in contracted position but being shorter in length than said elastic loops when said elastic loops are in fully extended position, said snubber strands thereby limiting the extent to which said elastic loops may be stretched in the fabric when the fabric is in use.

v7. A knitted fabric comprising a preponderance of relatively inelastic textile yarn loops having interspersed therethrough elastic loops eachk of said elastic loops extending across a plurality of intervening courses, of inelastic loops and tending to contract the fabric both Wale-Wise and course-wise thereby to form a series of generally diamond-shaped concavities on one side and corresponding protuberances on the other side thereof, said yarn loops and said elastic loops making up a complete knitted fabric, and snubber strands kextending through the complete fabric, generally parallel to the elastic loops, said snubber strands being longer in length than the elastic loops when said elastic loops are in contracted position but being shorter in length than said elastic loops when saidy elastic loops are in fully extended position, said snubber strands thereby limiting the extent to which said elastic loops may beV stretched in the fabric when the fabric is in use, saidsnubber strands being relatively slack when the elastic loops are contracted inthe unstretched condition of the fabric, the slack ofthe snubberstrands being taken up when the elastic loops are caused to yield in the stretched condition of the fabric.

8. A contour-conforming knitted fabric cornprising a preponderance of courses of knitted loops of a relatively inelastic textile thread and a series of separate courses of knitted loops of relatively elastic thread, said vloops of inelastic and elastic thread making up a. complete knitted fabric, each of 'said courses of relatively elastic thread being looped to its adjoining courses of relatively elastic thread at spaced intervals whereby said courses of elastic thread are connected' to each other Wale-Wise at spaced intervals, said interconnected courses of elastic thread thereby tending to contract the intervening groups of courses of relatively inelastic material both Wale-wise and course-wise, so as to form a series of concavities on one side of the fabric and corresponding protuberances on the other side thereof and thereby to resist shifting of the fabric upon an underlying surface covered thereby, and relatively inelastic snubber threads extending through the complete fabric generally parallel to the relatively elastic thread and limiting the extent to which the elastic loops may be stretched in the fabric when the fabric is in use.

9. A contour-conforming knitted fabric comprising a preponderance of courses of knitted loops of a relatively inelastic textile thread and a series of separate courses of knitted loops of relatively elastic thread, said loops of inelastic and elastic thread making up a complete knitted fabric, each of the elastic courses being looped to its adjoining elastic courses at spaced intervals, with the loops of the inelastic courses being dropped at said spaced intervals and with the thread of the inelastic courses floated in unknitted condition at said spaced intervals through said Wale-Wise interconnecting'elastic loops, and relatively inelastic snubber -threads extending through the complete fabric generally parallel to the relatively elastic thread and limiting the extent to which the elastic loops may be stretched in the fabric when the fabric is in use.

JOSEPH A. KRASNOV. IMAX M. KULLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,131,720 St. Pierre Sept. 27, 1938 2,257,719 Smith Sept. 30, 1941 2,253,523 Smith Nov. 18, 1941 2,266,678 Krasnov et al Dec. 16, 1941 2,313,446 Lawson Mar. 9, 1943 2,325,078 Shelmire July 27, 1943 2,347,005 Smith Apr. 18, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 399,591 Great Britain Oct.-12, 1933 475,760 Great'Britain Nov. 25, 1937 503,663 Great Britain Apr. 12, 1939 

